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STATUE TO SAMUEL J. TILDEN, 



U /S. Ci-%*.oHt'^«^. Committee on the Library, "E.ti u-_|E^ 
" ' House of Representatives,^""'" 

Washington, D. C, May 3, 1910. 

statement of Hon. William Sulzer, a Member of Congress from New York, on 
H. R. 24792, entitled "A bill to provide for the erection of a bronze statue to the 
memory of the late Samuel J. Tilden, at Washington, D. C. 

The Chairman (Mr. McCall). Mr. Siilzer, you may now procoed. 

Mr. Sulzer. ]\Ir. Chairman and o:ontlcmen of the Committee: For 
many years I have introduced in Congress and have had pending 
before this Committee on the Library of the House of Representatives 
the folknving bill, which I now read: 

(II. K. LMT'JJ] A bill to provide for the erection of a bronze statue to the memory of the late Samuel J. Tilden 
at Washington, District of Columbia. 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America 
in Congress assembled. That the sum of fifty thousand dollars, or so much thereof as 
may be necessary for the purpose indicated, be, and the same is hereby, appropriated, 
out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to be expended for 
the erection of a suitable bronze statue of the late Samuel J. Tilden. 

Sec. 2. That a site for said statue shall be selected by a committee consisting of 
the Secretary of State, the chairmen of the Committees on the Liljrary of the Senate 
and the House of Representatives, and the Honorable John Bigelow, of Xew York; 
and that no part of the sum hereby appropriated shall be expended until a suitable 
site at Washington, District of Columbia, for the erection of said statue shall have 
been .selected. 

Sec. ;i. That the above-designated committee shall select and approve the model 
and i)lans for .said statue and have general supervision of the erection thereof: Pro- 
vided, That the money hereby appropriated shall be drawn upon the requisition of 
the Secretary of State. 

That bill speaks for itself, and I believe is in the usual form. 
I ask- to have it reported. I believe Congress will pass it. In my 
judgment, the bill should be enacted into law. Samuel J. Tilden 
deserves well of his country, and there should be a statue to his 
memory in the Capitol of our I^epuldic. Only partisanship can be 
blind to his civic virtues. As the years come and go the memory 
of his very name is a growing tower of strength for good in every 
righteous cause, an incentive in every public rel'orm. and an example 
in every endeavor along philanthropic lines. 

It is now nearly a century since Samuel J. Tilden was born in the 
little village of Xew Lebanon, Columbia County. X. Y.. on the 9th 
day of February, 1814. He came of a sturdy stock and an honest 
race of God-fearing and liberty-loving people. The name of an 
ancestor, Nathaniel Tilden, of Tenterden, England, yoeman, and that 
43670—10 



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2^ 



2 STATUE TO SAMUEL J. TILDKN. ' 

of Lvilia, his wife, with seven children, head the hst of "such per- 
sons as embarked themselves in thej^'ood shi|) called the Ild'cults, to 
he therein transported to the plantation called .\(>\v Enirland, in 
America. " from the port of Sandwich. ICnLdand. in March, 1().34. 
This Xaihanitd Tilden had heen mayor of Tenterden. as his 
nncle John had heen hefore him. and as his cousin John was after 
him. 'Phis Tilden settled with his family at the little place of Scituate, 
whence the second ^^eneration of Tildens mi<:;rated to Lebanon, Conn. 
To Isaac Tilden. the trreat-<;randfather of Samuel J., was born at this 
place, in 1729. a scm named John, who settled in what was afterwards 
called New Lebanon. Columbia County, X. Y . 

Sanuiel J. Tilden's father. Elam, tlie youn<;est of John Tilden's 
seven children, was boiii in 17S1 . and in ].S()2 married Pollv '^'. Jones, 
aclescendant of \Villiam Jones, lieutenant-irovernor of the colony of 
New Haven. Kiirht children were born of this union, of whom 
Sanuiel J. was the liftli. The boy Samuel early (levelo])ed threat 
activity of mind and a renuukai)le command of lanjjuage. lie was 
observint; and studious and irave much j)romise. His father, a farmer, 
who also carried on a small mercantile business, was an intimate 
friend of Martin Van Buren, ami the political controversy of the time 
was j)art of the very atmosphere of the Tilden household. In his 
eitjhteenth year Samuel prepared an elaborate address, in regard to 
the issues of the |)ending state election, which was adopted as a |)artv 
nninifesto by the Democrats. 

In LS32 Samuel J. Tilden entered Yale Colleije. but almost at the 
outset his studies were interru|)ted by feol^le health. He resumed 
them in 1S34, when he entered the University of the City of New 
York. Here he comoleted his academic education, and devoted him- 
self assiduously to the study of the law. While in college he wrote 
a .series of papers in defense of President Van Buren's ])olicy in 
regard to the I nited States bank. He made a celebrated j)Iea for the 
independent treasury system, as ojjposed to the union of bank and 
State, in a speech delivei-ed to his neiirhboi's at New Lebanon in 
October, 1S4(I. 

On his admission to the bar Mr. TiMen bcLran th(> ])ractice of his 
profession in New York City, but continued to take an active part 
in politics. He was elected to the assembly in 1X4."). and while tliere 
was chairman of a committee apjxiinted to inquire into the causes of 
the antirent disorders, and the masterly report on the whole subject 
of the great leaselu)ld estates and their tenants was almost entirely 
his Work. He was a member of the state constilutioiial convention 
of 1S4(), and did much to mold in sha|)e that great fundamental law. 
The three most memorable cases in which Mr. Tilden was employed 
as a lawyer were the trial of the contested election of his friend 
Azariah ('. Flagg. as comptroller of New "^Ork City; the opposition 
on the part of the heirs of the miinlered Doctoi' Burd(>ll to Mrs. 
Cunningham's application for letters of administ ration on his estate; 
and the defense of (he Pennsylvania Coal Com|)Mny to the claim of 
the Delaware and Hudson Canal Com|>Mnv for |)a\nient of extia 
tolls. The hearing of the last-named case ((»iisumed sexcntv days, 
ami Mr. Tilden\ argument in the cas<' was a marvel of analytical 
ingenuity and constructive abililv. I'^rom IS.').') to ISTO more than 
half of the great railway corporations north of the Ohio and betw(»en 
the HimUoii and Mi<->ouii riveis were at some lime clients of Mr. 



STATUE TO SAMUEL J. TILDEN. 3 

Tikloii. lie was the aiitlior of many of the plans of i('oi';:;ani/.atioii 
that were rendered necessary l)y the early liiiancial necessities of 
these c<nnpanies. 

In 1848 Mr. TikkMi took a kacHnt^; pait in the Free Soil revolt 
within the Democratic ])arty. In 1S51 he made a strong: jilea for 
respect to the Constitntion in (U'alini:; with the (piestion of inii)rove- 
ments on the state canals. In ISoo he was the candidate for attor- 
iiey-o;eneral on the ticket of the ''Soft-Shell" Democrats. Throutih- 
oiit the civil war he maintained that the stru<;<:;le a;;ain.st the con- 
federacy could be successfully waii;ed without resortino; to extra- 
constitutional modes of action. By 1S6S Mr. Tilden had definitely 
assumed the leadersliip of the Democratic party in New York State. 
To the enactment of what was known as "the Tweeil charter" of 

1870, which confirmed the control of the ring o\'^er the government 
and revenues of New York City, Mr. Tilden offered the most deter- 
mined opposition. Besides the Tweeil ring, to the almost ecpially 
notorious persons who were engaged, by the aid of the courts, 
in plundering the stockholders of the Erie Railway Mr. Tilden had 
made himself similarly obnoxious. lie was one of the founders of the 
bar association, which was an organized protest against the perver- 
sion of the machinery of justice. In the im])eachment |)rocee(lings 
against the corrupt judges in 1872 Mr. Tilden's was the direct mind, 
and it was mainly for this purpose that he agreed to serve again as a 
member of the assembly. 

On the exposure of the methods of plunder of the Tweed ring, 
which was made in the columns of the New Y'ork Times in July, 

1871, Mr. Tilden undertook, through an examination of the bank 
accounts of the chief members of the combination, a legal demon- 
stration of the share of the spoils received by each, and the tables 
presented with his affidavit furnished the basis of the civil and 
criminal proceedings brought against the ring and its agents. He 
threw^ all his energy into the prosecution of suits in the name of the 
State against the men wdio had seized the machinery of local justice, 
and he resisted successfully the efforts of the ring and the politicians 
in its service to retain their hold on the state Democratic organiza- 
tion in the autumn of 1871. In 1874 he was the Democratic candi- 
date for governor, and was elected by a plurality of 50.000 over Gov- 
ernor John A. Dix. His speciai message to the legislature on the 
extravagance and dishonesty that had characteiized the manage- 
ment of the canals made a deep impression. During his adminis- 
tration the new^ capitol building at Albany was begun. He made an 
ideal governor — one of the verj^ best in the history of the State. 
His public pa])ers are models and demonstrate his sagacity and his 
statesmanship. 

In June, 1876, the national Democratic convention, assembled at 
St. Louis, nominated Samuel J. Tilden for the Presidency. As finally 
declared, the electoral vote was 185 for Mr. Hayes and 184 for Mr. 
Tilden. The po])ular vote, as counted, gave Tilden 4. 284, 265. Hayes 
4,033,295, Cooper 81,737, and Smith 9,522. Mr. Tilden was opposed 
to the Electoral Commission, declaring his belief in "'the exclusive- 
jurisdiction of the two Houses of the Congress to count the electoral 
votes by their own servants and under such instruction as they might 
deem j^roper to give." 

If Tilden had raised his hand in protest, civil war would have ensued. 
During this exciting and tr3-ing period he demonstrated his patriotism. 



4 STATl'K TO SAMUEL J. TILDKX. 

From that time till the ciid ol' lii> life lie was first aiiioii^' the loaders 
«»f tlu" national Dcniociacv, and the pic.vsurc for his ivnominatioii in 
ISMI hi'canu' so iricat that his IVicnds. who know his lix(Ml doloiinina- 
tion n(»t t(» ho Ui^ain a randidato. a|)j)oalod to him to writo a iornial 
imnounconjont of his rosolution. wiiicli was addro.ssotl to tlio dologatos 
fi-oni his own State. Fouf yoais latof this doclaration had to be 
ropoatod. His hist impoiiant oonliihution to the iiistorv of his time 
was a communication to lion. John G. Carlisle, Si)eaker of the House 
of Koi)resontativos, in regard to the urgent necessity of liberal ap- 
propriations ft)r such a system of coast defenses as would ])lace the 
I'nitod States in a jiosition of comparative safety against naval 
attack. 

Samuel .1. Tildon died at his country house. "Greystone," West- 
<hestor ("ouiity, N.« Y., on the 4th day of August, 1886. He never 
married. Under the provisions of Mr. Tildon's will, the greater i)or- 
tion of his fortune, estimated at more than S5,0()0,0()(), was devoted 
to public uses, the chief of which was the establishment and endow- 
ment in the city of New York of a free public library. 

The great ])ower of Mr. Tilden consisted in his ability to concentrate 
ins mind upon his work. "Where others vaporized he crystallized. 
The realm of speculative philosophy had no attraction for him. He 
reduced statosmanshij) to one oi ihe exact sciences. \\q treated a 
problem in government as he would a problem in mathematics; he 
took all the factors, discovered their relative value, and then used 
tiiem. Glittering generalities were his abhorrence. Facts were his 
friends and figures his delight. His mental e(|ui])ment was large; his 
horizon broad : his gift of prevision amounted almost to j^rophesy. He 
•was a nn\n of action. He did things. Few have so fully accom])lished 
tiie tasks set before them. Few men have received so many unsought 
Ijoiiors. 

Out of this power of concentration sprang two anomalous char- 
nct<'ristics^absolute fearlessness linked to great caution. Nobod)'' 
who knew Mr. Tilden ever dreamed of frightening him. He was 
insensible to threats. He knew the right, and never faltered. He 
<lisliked those who took counsel of their apprehensions. He was 
<"aulious. He never moved until ho had provided against every ))ossi- 
J)le contingency. He vindicated his courage in his designs and dis- 
phiyed his caution in the execution thereof. He did a bold thing in the 
summer of 1S75, when, as governor of .\ew ^ Ork, he ])romised the 
|)eople in hi> s|)eeches at Hulfalo, Syiacuse. and Tlica, that their taxes 
should bo reijuced by SO.OOO.OOI). Hut he did a cautious thing when 
he lixod the sum at six millions while ho was |)aving the way for the 
reduction of eight millions — which was linally elVoctod. 

Samuel .1. Tilden was no sj'ntinientalist, but he possessed a great 
<leHl (tf genuine sentiment. \\v wa> loyal to every prmciplo and stead- 
fust to every ideal, {•"ricndshi]) meant more to liim than to the jtoets 
who sing it> praises oj- to the weak creatures who yearn for it without 
understanding the po.ssibilitios of sacrilice which it involves. When 
he WHS past fortv years of age he voluntaiily took u|)on himself 
pi'cuniary obliirations e<pnd to all the money lie had earned by twenty 
years of jalmrious efforts, that those who were bound to him by the 
ties of relHti»)nshi|) might osca|)e a threatened rev(>rse of fortune and 
that llu- declining years of his aged mother might bo full of |)oace and 
free from sorrow. Judge Martin Grovor, of the New York court of 
apiienls, who was on<' of the wisest jurists and closest observers of 



STATUE TO SAMUEL J. TILDEN. 5 

chiiracttM- that this countrv has ovor i)r()(hico(l, spcakiiiu: ''f Mj'- 
Tilden one (hiy \o\v^ boforo liis nomination for (lovcrnoi-, ivniarki'd : 
"That man has jjivtMi away more money and nnuh' loss fnss about it 
than any other man in the State of New York. I le (h)esn't give on any 
abstract theory of ])iiihinthro|)hy, but because liis friends ijet themselves 
into trouble, and he can not resist the tem])tation to helj) them out." 

It is almost imj)ossil)le to sound the de{)ths of the subtle nature of 
Sanniel J. Tilden. lie was a s^reat student. His intellectual resources 
were inexhaustible. He lived in Xew York City for moi-e than fifty 
years, min<2;lin<!; in the best society of the metropolis: but the maimer 
of the student was upon him at all times. The o;reat j)rol)lems which 
he sought to solve — the problems that had eluded the efforts of other 
statesmen — engaged his attention to the time of his death. He 
prized at its full value the relaxation and comfort which his home 
life afforded him. but the largest share of his time for fifty 'years had 
been devoted to hard work, and had he so wished he could not have 
released himself from those habits of industry which were woven into 
the warp and woof of his very nature. 

Years ago Martin Van Buren said of Samuel J. Tilden, ''He is the 
most unambitious man I ever knew." His acquaintance with Tilden's 
boyhood, his appreciation of his talents, and his knowledge of the 
opportunities for advancement which he liad rejected, led him to 
make the remark. He could not understand how a man might 
gratify a rational ambition by attending strictly to his professional 
pursuits, winning the confidence of those around him, and discharg- 
mg faithfully his duties as a citizen. Yet that spliei-e of life filled the 
measure of Mr. Tilden's ambitio?!, and would have filled it to the end 
if he had not been driven forward by circumstances stronger than he 
could control. He has been charged with overweening political ambi- 
tion, and yet the truth is that he never sought a public position in 
his life. He has been accused of working for his own advancement. 
The accusation is without justification. Mr. Tilden worked for the 
advancement of a cause which he believed to be essential to the 
preservation of democratic institutions. He worked for an end, but 
he was no self-seeker. If he could have found his alter ego — some 
man who possessed the courage, the efficiency, the honesty, the energy^ 
the intelligence, and the desire to bring about the reforms which he 
sought and which the country needed — he would have gladly sup- 
ported that man for the Presidency in 1876, and remained in retire- 
ment himself. But the man was not to be found. Tilden had to 
lead, because he was in front — far ahead. 

In 1862 Mr. Tilden told Secretary Stanton that a great military 
genius rose only once in two or three centuries. A great political 
reformer rises hardly as often as a military genius. The civic hero's 
task is more diflicult, his lal)or more thankless, and his rewaril less 
certain. If it be ambition which induces an honest and fearless 
man to grap])le with ])ublic thieves, well intrenched in power, then 
it is the same sort of ambition which prompts the j^atriotic soldier to 
volunteer to lead a forlorn hope in battle. Sometimes the leader of 
a forlorn hope succeeds, and great is his glory. Oftener the civic 
hero fails and is forgotten. The chances are so much against him 
that his very existence demonstrates his unselfishness. 

Samuel J. Tilden was a great man and a true man; a lover of his 
country; a believer in the supremacy of law; the friend of every 
righteous cause that lacked assistance. He stood for honestv in 



b STATUE TO SA.ML'EL J. TII.DKN. 

politics — lor tlu' eternal prineiples of truth and liirlit and justice in 
l)ul)lic atVairs. He l)elieved in fair nlay and ecpnd opj)orlunity for 
all. He was broad and liberal in liis views: had charity for all; 
trusteil the people, and never lost faith in humanity. He was an 
eminent lawyer, a i)hiloso])hical statesman, a <ireat civic reformer, 
an ideal citizen of tlie purest patriotism, and a philanthro|)ist whose 
benefactions will benefit mankind for j2;enerations yet to come. He 
was the foe of every public evil, and in his hfetime he did more to 
correct ijovernmental abuses than any man since the days of Thomas 
Jefferson. He knew himself: lie believed in the destiny of the 
Hei)ul)lic. and he made the corner stone of his political convictions 
that cardinal i)rincij)le — e([ual ri<j:hts to all and special privile<res to 
none. He was a Democrat throui2;h and thr()u<:;h — a statesman of the 
oUl school. He belon^is to the nation. He deserves a monument. 

He was anindefatiirable worker and accom])lished what he pur]K)sed. 
He believed in ])lod and pro<z;ress. He had eUxjuence. patience and 
confidence, energy and industry. He had tenacity of purpose and 
always bided his time. He never relied on luck or trusted to chance. 
He met Napoleon's test — he did things. He was the implacable foe 
of ])rivate mono])oly, of unjust taxation, of organized greed, of dis- 
criminating legislation that robs the many for the benefit of the few, 
and of every special ])rivilege. He was a faitiiful ])u])lic ollicial. and 
preached the doctrine that i)ublic oflice is a public trust. He was a 
reformer who reformed. He did not talk about a i)olicy one day and 
abandon it the next. What he promised he consummated. He never 
indulged in theatricals; he was not a spectacular statesman. He has 
had many feeble imitators, but no equals. At a critical time in the 
life of the Kej)ublic he began the work of civic purification; he foresaw 
the coming storm of the indignation of an outraged people, and the 
preat work he began will not cuhninate until civic righteousness is 
enthroned in every municipality and in every caj)ital of America. 
The great work for reform that he accomi^lishcd will grow brighter 
and brighter as the years come and go, imtil it finally becomes his 
most lasting monument, more enduring than marble and brass, and 
forever sacred in the hearts of his grateful countrymen. 

Tilden was the great American reformer. The enthusiasm for civic 
righteousness which his memory inspires is not of the frothy sort. 
It is not ej)hemeral. It is based on the sound judgment of thiidving 
men. not on their impidses. and is therefore enduring. He was hon- 
est. He was sinceic. If the Democi'atic party had not been con- 
vinced that he was the best representative of its best itleas he 
would not have been nominated. From the very fii'st there was a 
sangiune feeling of safety under his wise and sagacious leadershij). 
This feeling of safety begets coididence, conlidenc(> begets buoyancy, 
and buoyancy begets eulliusia^ni, which sweeps (huvn barriers and 
makes heroes of us all. 

In his day Sanniel J. Tilden was the ablest linancier in the I7nited 
States. His views fifty years ago aic the statutes now. He never 
maile a mistake on a (piestion of finance. His judgment was 
always sound. He knew while others thought. These are broad 
assertions, but they are fully justified by the facts. His counsel was 
sought for over thirty years by the safe and conservative |)ublic men 
(»f alfair.N of the country, and not by the stockjobbers and reckless 
speculators, foi- with them he i"efii^cd to liax'e an\' dealings. 



STATUE TO SAMUEL J. TILDEN. 7 

SaiiiiU'l J. Tildon was a iircat man— a *!;roat lawyor, a <,M'eat patriot, a 
great statesman, a ^neat ])lulaiitlu<)i)ist — and he deserves a monument 
in the eapital of his eountrv. If he had hccoinc President he wouhl 
have entered upon the (hities and the resj)onsihilities that would have 
fallen u])on him not as one entering uj)on a holiday recreation, })ut 
very much in that spirit of jiatriotic consecration "in which a great 
soldier enters a battle for human rights. He had drunk deep at the 
fountairis of freedom and of patriotism. He gave to his country that 
love which others yield to wife and children. He was whole in him- 
self, possessing firmness without obstinacy, courage without bravado, 
religion without cant. He was no hypocrite. To the call of civic 
duty he never hesitated. The traditions of the fathers were his inspi- 
ration. He stood for equal rights to all. He loved justice. The 
Constitution was his sheet anchor. He had no ])ersonal ends to serve, 
no other and)ition than to save the Republic from the canker of cor- 
ruption wdiich ate out the heart of every republic of ancient times. He 
believed we were only trustees for future generations, and would be 
recreant to our trust if we failed to hand down to them unimpaired the 
free institutions we now enjoy. 

Gentlemen, in my judgment, patriotic America agrees with me that 
Samuel J. Tilden deserves a monument. In counting up th:it long 
array of names whom the people have honored by electing to the 
highest office in their power, the future historian will linger long to 
inquire whether it was a fraud or a blun<ler that robbed the great 
reformer of New York of a seat that he was so eminently ((ualified to 
fill, and regarding that I have no fears as to the final yerdict imjiartial 
history w411 record in the annals of America. 



Letter from the Hon. Jolin Blgelow. 

21 Gramercy Park, May U, 1910. 
Hon. William Sulzer. 

Dear Sir: I have learned with great ])leasure of your efforts to 
secure the authority and aid of Cono:ress to erect a suita])le monu- 
ment at the capital to commemorate the public services of the late 
Samuel J. Tilden. 

Among the great public benefactors of this nation it would be diffi- 
cult to name another whose public services were indebted in so incon- 
siderable a degree to the prestige and advantages of oHice. It would 
be still more difficult to name another who made equal sacrifices of 
time and fortune for the accomplishment of the memorable reforms 
in the municipal and state governments of New York which are 
imperishably associated with his name. But it would be impossible 
to name another ijovei'uor any of whose messa<2:es were pul)lished in 
full by the press of so many other States of the Union, or even in any 
other State of the I'nion, than his own, as it was the distinguished 
fortune of nearly all of his to be. I think I shall be floins; no injustice 
to any citizen, governor, or President of the United States when I 
say that the public papers of Mr. TiUlen have never been surpassed 
for soundness of statesmanship, lucidity of ex])ression, and unassail- 
able logic by any other American statesman, whether in or out of office. 

Though prevented In* the limited means of his parents and a deli- 
cate constitution of his own from enjoying but very limited advan- 
tages of early education, and from his early life dependent upon his 



8 STATUE TO SAMUEL J. TILDEN. 

own rosourcos for a livoliliood. ho rose to a commandinp; position in 
tln' It'j^al profession and amassed by it what in his (hiy was rep:arded 
as an envial)U> fortune. After ])rovidintj: generously for his kin — he 
never niarrieil — four-fifths at least of his lar<re fortune he be(iueathed 
to his executors as iiis trustees for the establishment of a library in 
the city in which his money had been earned. The New York Public 
Lil)rary, Astor. Lenox, and Tilden Foundation in a few months will 
give to the American public one of the half dozen largest collections 
of hooks in the world, stored by the munificence of the New York 
municipality in one of the most perfectly equipped structures for its 
])urj)ose in the world. 

If the United States has protluced any statesman, barrister, or citi- 
zen whose private and public character entitles him to a memorial 
which shall serve to recall a character to be admired, an example to 
be imitated, and a career in which succeeding generations will take 
increasing pride, it was Samuel J. Tilden. 

I doubt if vour colleagues can make any appropriation likely to 
commend itself to so large a proportion of the ])('o])le of the United 
States to-daj- as that for which you are — I hope successfulh^ — 
applying. 

"i'ours, ver}- respectfully, John Bigelow. 



Editorial from the Lynchburg Xews, ilafal Mai/ 11, 1910. 

PROPOSED ■ STATUE TO TILDEN. 

The resolution introduced in the House of Kepresentatives by Con- 
gressman Sulzer. of Xew York, providing for the erection of a statue 
of Samuel J. Tilden in Washington by the National Government ought 
to have favorable action. Mr. Tilden stands out in the postbellum 
history of the country as one of the great figures of his time — as a man 
whose influence and qualities of i^olitical leadership, whose high order 
of statesmanship and national patriotism did so combine as to present 
his name to ])osterity, a fit subject for distinguished and lasting honor. 
A monument to his memory is not needed to secure the more firmly 
and already well-established ])lace in the galaxy of great American 
statesmen gone, but its ])resence in Washington, as contemplated i)y 
the Sulzer bill, will nevertheless reflect a national recognition of his 
worth well calculated to piove a source of grateful satisfaction to 
millions of Aniei-ican citizens. 

The fact, iiowever, that such a momiment would constantly serve 
to recall the dramatic crisis in Mr. Tilden's public car(>cr may perhaps 
he regarded as the one serious obstacle in the way of tlic Sulzer resolu- 
tion. ¥oY it is a matter of history that he was elected President of 
the United States in 1X70, and that through the subtle machinations 
of powerful Kej)ublican Icadershij) in Congress was robbed of the 
ollice. and the majestic pi-jnciple of majority rule as deiined by the 
people was thus ruthlessly trampled imder the heel of legislative 
tyranny and malpractice. The further we get away from that event- 
ful period in American politics the wi<ler is ix'coming the range of even 
Kepublican admission that ''His Fraudulcjicy " is a title altogether 
approj)riate as a designation of Rutherford 15. Hayes. The burden of 
the resultant blame and shame rests to-day upon the Kejniblican 
party. It cfuistitutes an ugly smear u|)on the Kepublican record 
which time instead of oblitci-ating is bringing (mi( in jjoldcr relief. 



STATUE TO SAMUEL J, TILDEN. 9 

Aiid this l)oiiiii; so, the Tilden statue jji-oposition is likoly, we fear, to 
be opposed l)v the "powers that l)e" in tlie J{e))iibiicaii party. 

And yet in the course which Mr. TihU'n pursued in 1.S76, wlien con- 
fronted with the jiresence of the stu))en(h)us jxjjiticul fcdony desiirned 
to ik^prive him of the Presitlency, resides one of his stroni^est chiinis 
upon the exalted esteem of succeecHn*; <renerations and the approving 
vercHct of history. For his concUict then — liis submission to the 
terms and comhtions by which tiie presidential tlieft of 187G was 
made possible; his brave acquiescence in the result and his earnest 
and pronounced attitude in a])])ealing to Democrats everywhere to 
peaceably accept that result, may well be regarded as a sublime 
lesson on self abnegation and sacrifice of self in order that thereby 
the public weal might be the more surely safeguarded. This order 
of patriotism is the sort that speaks in the language of results; that 
commits a man's destiny to the well d<nie of the to-morrow of history — 
that writes him great indeed. Better, far l)etter to pass into the 
future with Tilden's fame and Tilden's record than to have passed 
four years in the White House as did ^Ir. Hayes, having always 
above him a cloud of doubt as to the honesty and rightfulness of 
his tenure. 

We shall watch the fate of the Sulzer resolution with no little 
interest — prepared to witness its defeat, but hoping for its passage 
and ready to applaud a Republican majority in Congress if it proves 
equal to the demands of this so inviting an opjiortunity to rise above 
partisan considerations and do a right and noble thing. 



Editorial from the Advocate, Newarl', Ohio, dated May 10, 1910. 

Congressman Sulzer has introduced a bill for a statue of SamuelJones 
Tilden in Washington. There has never been the equal of ^Ii". Til- 
den's fight against the Tweed ring in New York City, and the canal 
ring in New York State, and ^h. Tilden is the only man who was ever 
elected President and counted out. If he had raised his hand, there 
would have been civil war. The Democratic ])arty would have 
seated him by force if he had merely given the signal. But he sac- 
rificed his rights and the rights of his party rather than cause blood- 
shed. He deserves a monument. 



Editorial from the Troy Press, dated May 12, 1910. 

William Sulzer wants Congress to put up a statue to Samuel J. Tilden in Washingtim. 
Why Tilden in preference to any one of a score of eminent lawyers? If Mr. Sulzer 
feels that Washington is incomplete without Tilden, why not put him in the Statuary 
Hall in the Capitol? — Syracuse Post-Standard. 

Obviously, because Mr. Tilden was elected Presitlent of the United 
States, and was the innocent victim of a colossal conspiracy wliich 
deprived him of his rights and the country of his splendid service as a 
statesman. As a Democrat and admirer of the most illustrious and 
intellectual of New York reformers, Mr. Sulzer believes that the 
nation would honor itself by honoring Samuel J. Tilden. Further- 
more, no statesman of his day had such a mastery of the fundamental 
principles of statesmanship; he was one of the greatest and best 
of governors, and would have been equally eminent among the list of 



10 STATUE TO SAMUEL J. TILDKN. 

Presidents. Ilowcvei-, he was defrauded, and Mr. Sulzer would not 
expect the KejiuhUean i)arty to confess its <;uilt hy voting a memorial 
for the sa«;e of Cireystoni'. 



Editorial from the New Yorh Sun, dated May S, 1910. 

A STATUE OF A GREAT AMERICAN. 

Representative Sulzer has introduced in the House, and the Com- 
mittee on J^ibrary now has under consitleration, a hill ])i()vidini; for 
the erection in the city of AVashinjjton by the Federal Government 
of a statue of Samuel J. Tilden of New York. 

In every sane attempt to im])rove the administration of govern- 
mental affairs, in every intelligent effort to better the conditions of 
]iublic life, in every movement tlesigned to rid legislation and the 
enforcement of laws of favoritism, fraud, and trickery, the spirit of 
Tilden jiersists and finds expression. The work that he did, the 
methods that liis extraordinary intelligence devised and a])})r()ved, 
constitute to-day the foundation and ])lans for reforms continuously 
in pr(»gress l)ut as yet unlinished. 

There is no ])artisanshi]) in this movement to honor one of the 
greatest of America's ])olitical ])hilosophers and i)ractical statesmen. 
The tribute has been too long delated. Mr. Tilden's fame belongs 
to the nation. The ap])roi)riation asked for by Mr. Sulzer's bill 
should be granted ))roinptly by the Sixty-fii-st Congress. 



Editorial from the Philadelphia Record, dated May 9, 191fi. 

Congressman Sulzer has hitroduced a bill for a statue of Sanuiel 
Jones Tilden in Washington. Tiiere has never been the e()ual of 
Mr. Tilden's fight against th(? Tweed ring in New York City and the 
canal ring in New York State, and Mr. Tilden is the only man who 
was ever elected President and counted out. If he had rai-sed his 
hand there would have been civil war. The Democratic ])arty would 
have seated him by force if he had merely given the signal. Rut he 
sacriliced his rights and the rights of his paiiy rather than cause 
bloodshed. He deserves a monument. 



EdUoiidl/rniH tin Wdsh'i nylon Post , (hit, ,/ M<i)i.lJ. HHO. 
TII.DH.N .V.M) COI.ol! ADO. 

And that recalls that the admission of Colorado as a State detei"- 
mined the residt of a presiih'iit iai election. Kugene Male (Re|)ub- 
lican) ami Sanniel .1. Randall (Democi'at ) fought t he |)ro|)osition : but 
the senliuieiil thai we nuist have the "Centennial Slate "over\vheline(| 
them, and a Re|)id)lican Senate and a Democratic House initiated 
Colorado into the I'nion just one hundred y(>ars after Thomas .lelfer- 
son reported to the ( "out incut al Congress lh(> Declaration of Inde- 
j)endeiice. 



STATUE TO SAMUEL J. TILDEX. 11 

Tliere was a lobby here — not a ('ori'ui)t lol)l)y — Iroin Colorado com- 

fosed of Democrats and Kepuhlieans. The Democrats |)(>rsuaded tlie 
louse of Representatives tliat if admitted Colorado would surely go 
Democratic that year; the Republicans convinced the Senate that 
Colorado wonld ^ji:o Republican, and so she did, casting three votes 
for Hayes in the electoral college. Had the thing been |)ost|)oned for 
a year, Tilden would have had an undisputed title to the Presi(h'ncy. 
Statehood should not be a political ((uestion; and the hesitancy of 
a Republican Congress to admit Arizona and New Mexico will tend 
to make })oth Democratic, as in the case of Oklahoma. 



EdHorial from ilie WasMngton Post, dated May 5, 1910. 

SAMUEL .1. TILDEN. 

There are shrewd observers, of whom Colonel Watterson is one, w'ho 
hold that Samuel J. Tilden was the greatest political philosopher this 
country has produced since the adoption of tne Federal Constitution. 
He was gifted with a remarkable clearness of intellect, antl ere he was 
out of his teens he was consulted and his suggestions accepted by such 
veteran statesmen as Martin Van Buren and by such eminent thinkers 
as William Cullen Bryant. His disciples, and they are pretty nearly 
all who have read the political writings of Mr. Tilden, look u])on him 
as not only the most consummate practical j)olitician of his tune, but 
as the leading constructive statesman of his generation. Had Mr. 
Lincoln chosen him Secretary of the Treasury, the w^ar of 1861-65 
would have been paid for in coin, and its cost w^ould have been less 
than one-half, in congressional appropriations, wdiat it was. He was 
an antislavery man and voted the Free Soil ticket in 1848 for Presi- 
dent, and had the North followed his counsel slavery would have died 
a natural death and without the firing of one hostile gun. 

Tilden smote Tammany when it was at its zenith in power, inso- 
lence, and corruption, and it withered. He did more; he drove the 
canal ring from the ])ublic trough, ])urified the public service, reduced 
annual expenses .S7,{)()(),000— equal to S17, 000,000 to-day— and gave 
the Empire State the most efficient administration it has ever had. 

He ranked with the leaders of the bar in the generation of O'Conor, 
Field, Evarts, and others of that caliber. In the frailest of bodies he 
carried the sanest of minds. But that his letter opposing the Eight 
to Seven Commission was suppressed he would have entered upon 
the great magistracy to which the people had chosen him. 

Samuel J. Tilden deficient in ideals! No])ody ever said so who read 
the writings of the man. For profundity of political thought no one 
in search of it can neglect the preachments of this statesman who was 
offered the Presidency for a certain sum in hand j)ai(rand refused it. 

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